Mark Bryant

Assistant to President of European Vision University

Associate Dean of Students (at the time of interview), Belmont University

Educational Background:

Vanderbilt University, Ed. D., (May 2008)
Higher Education Administration

Florida State University, M.S., 1995
Higher Education Administration

Baylor University, B.A., 1991
Psychology

By Mandy Hambleton, April 2008

As the old adage goes, “life has a funny way of working itself out.” This is especially true for Mark Bryant (M.S. 1995), who is about to embark on an international journey that he has been longing to have for several years. Mark will be leaving his current position as the Associate Dean of Students at Belmont University in Nashville, TN after ten years to begin a new position as the Assistant to the President at European Vision University in Peja, Kosova (Yes, this is the correct spelling for the Albanian people who live there according to Mark’s blog).

While Mark never took part in a study abroad program during his undergraduate years at Baylor University, he has had an increasing interest in international education for many years. After graduating from Baylor with a B.A. in Psychology in 1991, Mark began working full-time at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Two years later, he decided to return to school and began his graduate work in Higher Education at Florida State University.

It was at Florida State where Mark met one of his most influential mentors and closest friends, Dr. Mary Coburn, FSU’s current Vice President for Student Affairs. At the time, Mark was serving as a graduate assistant in another department and Mary was the Director of Orientation. Having been heavily involved in orientation at Baylor, Mark was hoping for an assistantship in that area; however, it was not in the cards when he initially interviewed for assistantships, so he found other ways to be involved in the office including serving as an orientation trainer during the spring semester.

As luck would have it, the second-year orientation graduate assistant accepted a job offer early and was not going to be in Tallahassee for the summer, so Mary asked Mark if he would accept the role for the summer and he gladly accepted. It was during that summer that an enduring professional relationship and friendship was born. In fact, Mark and Mary still keep in touch to this day. According to Dr. Coburn, “It’s hard not to be close to Mark. He’s such a deep thinker; he spends a lot of time processing his experiences and what he should be doing with his life. Although we don’t speak often he’s one of those friends that you talk to and you can pick right up where you left off the last time.”

Mark notes that Dr. Coburn is “one of the most amazing people [he’s] ever met. She holds people to very high standards but she also empowers them and doesn’t expect everyone to do things her way.” While they don’t speak very often, Mark and Mary have managed to stay in contact through conferences, e-mail, phone calls, and occasional visits.

In addition to finding a mentor and friend in Dr. Coburn, Mark also found a lot more during his time at FSU. He recalls the great balance of theory and practical approaches to student affairs that were present in the program when he attended. There were also great opportunities to engage with different groups of students and interact with a variety of offices. I am proud to say that the same holds true to the program today. Mark believes that the program prepared him well for his professional work as an Area Coordinator in Housing for Carson Newman College and now as the Associate Dean of Students at Belmont University responsible for areas including Student Activities & Leadership, Organizations & Greek Life, New Student & Parent Programs, Fitness and Intramurals, and Judicial Services. FSU must be doing a good job of preparing student affairs professionals, as Mark hired 2007 masters program graduate, Maria Allen as the Coordinator of Judicial Services at Belmont University almost one year ago. “Maria is an amazing young professional. FSU should be very proud of her,” he stated. If you didn’t believe it before, believe it now, the LifeNet really works!

So how does an Associate Dean in Nashville find a job in Kosova? Mark had been trying to move overseas to London or Dublin for many years; however, it can be incredibly difficult to find jobs because the majority of European higher education institutions do not have a student affairs model. Resolved to the fact that it was probably going to take some time for the right opportunity to present itself, Mark remained in Nashville and continued to travel and take students abroad for mission trips and other non-tourist purposes.

His interest in international education “came out of nowhere,” he says. He began to realize that Americans are incredibly isolated from the rest of the world and he “wanted to be a part of connecting American college students with other cultures.” Mark feels so strongly about international education that he “would donate money so that any student who wanted to study abroad could,” if he had the means to do so. His interest continued through his doctoral coursework at Vanderbilt University, and his international education professor proved to be part of the connection that Mark needed to make his dreams of working abroad come true.

While working at a leadership camp in Kosova two years ago, the chair of the business school at the University of Prishinta noticed that Mark was wearing a Vanderbilt baseball cap and approached him to discuss the time he had spent in Nashville. They discussed where Mark worked and that he was finishing his Ed.D. at Vanderbilt and his interest in working abroad. Mark again returned to the leadership camp this past summer and he was approached about a position at the newly formed European Vision University in Peja, Kosova where the former business school chair is serving as rector (president). Mark finally had the chance he had been waiting for; he had an opportunity to work abroad.

European Vision University will begin its third academic year this fall and serves approximately 600 Albanian students who are predominantly Muslim. In his new role, Mark will be working on a variety of special projects to prepare the University for accreditation, working with government agencies, and assisting with strategic planning. Additionally, he will be teaching introduction to English courses.

It has taken persistence and faith for Mark to continue to pursue his path to international education, and he believes that when he returns to the states after one year abroad, he will continue to work in international education, either with study abroad programs or international students in the United States. Throughout his career, his values, faith, and seeking out transformational experiences for himself and his students have guided Mark’s professional path.

Mark is a true example of integrity and “practicing what you preach” as he has truly taken his own advice regarding finding a path in the field to heart, “Student affairs and higher education is a broad field; you need to find what you connect with even if you don’t get it right away,” he adds, “[student affairs professionals] are in a position to impact and influence students’ lives. What do you want your contribution to be?”

I hope all of us who are fortunate enough to be educated by the faculty in the FSU Higher Education program and professionals like Mark Bryant that we are all able to eventually find our path and discover the contribution we want to make to the field. We wish you the best of luck in your new adventures, Mark! For more information about Mark’s move to Kosova and his experiences abroad, check out his blog at http://kosovamark.squarespace.com/welcome/.


				Mark Bryant Assistant to President of European Vision University Associate Dean of Students (at the time of interview), Belmont University Educational Background: Vanderbilt University, Ed. D., (May 2008) Higher Education Administration Florida State University, M.S., 1995 Higher Education Administration Baylor University, B.A., 1991 Psychology ## By Mandy Hambleton, April 2008 As the old adage goes, “life has a funny way of working itself out.” This is especially true for Mark Bryant (M.S. 1995), who is about to embark on an international journey that he has been longing to have for several years. Mark will be leaving his current position as the Associate Dean of Students at Belmont University in Nashville, TN after ten years to begin a new position as the Assistant to the President at European Vision University in Peja, Kosova (Yes, this is the correct spelling for the Albanian people who live there according to Mark’s blog). While Mark never took part in a study abroad program during his undergraduate years at Baylor University, he has had an increasing interest in international education for many years. After graduating from Baylor with a B.A. in Psychology in 1991, Mark began working full-time at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Two years later, he decided to return to school and began his graduate work in Higher Education at Florida State University. It was at Florida State where Mark met one of his most influential mentors and closest friends, Dr. Mary Coburn, FSU’s current Vice President for Student Affairs. At the time, Mark was serving as a graduate assistant in another department and Mary was the Director of Orientation. Having been heavily involved in orientation at Baylor, Mark was hoping for an assistantship in that area; however, it was not in the cards when he initially interviewed for assistantships, so he found other ways to be involved in the office including serving as an orientation trainer during the spring semester. As luck would have it, the second-year orientation graduate assistant accepted a job offer early and was not going to be in Tallahassee for the summer, so Mary asked Mark if he would accept the role for the summer and he gladly accepted. It was during that summer that an enduring professional relationship and friendship was born. In fact, Mark and Mary still keep in touch to this day. According to Dr. Coburn, “It’s hard not to be close to Mark. He’s such a deep thinker; he spends a lot of time processing his experiences and what he should be doing with his life. Although we don’t speak often he’s one of those friends that you talk to and you can pick right up where you left off the last time.” Mark notes that Dr. Coburn is “one of the most amazing people [he’s] ever met. She holds people to very high standards but she also empowers them and doesn’t expect everyone to do things her way.” While they don’t speak very often, Mark and Mary have managed to stay in contact through conferences, e-mail, phone calls, and occasional visits. In addition to finding a mentor and friend in Dr. Coburn, Mark also found a lot more during his time at FSU. He recalls the great balance of theory and practical approaches to student affairs that were present in the program when he attended. There were also great opportunities to engage with different groups of students and interact with a variety of offices. I am proud to say that the same holds true to the program today. Mark believes that the program prepared him well for his professional work as an Area Coordinator in Housing for Carson Newman College and now as the Associate Dean of Students at Belmont University responsible for areas including Student Activities & Leadership, Organizations & Greek Life, New Student & Parent Programs, Fitness and Intramurals, and Judicial Services. FSU must be doing a good job of preparing student affairs professionals, as Mark hired 2007 masters program graduate, Maria Allen as the Coordinator of Judicial Services at Belmont University almost one year ago. “Maria is an amazing young professional. FSU should be very proud of her,” he stated. If you didn’t believe it before, believe it now, the LifeNet really works! So how does an Associate Dean in Nashville find a job in Kosova? Mark had been trying to move overseas to London or Dublin for many years; however, it can be incredibly difficult to find jobs because the majority of European higher education institutions do not have a student affairs model. Resolved to the fact that it was probably going to take some time for the right opportunity to present itself, Mark remained in Nashville and continued to travel and take students abroad for mission trips and other non-tourist purposes. His interest in international education “came out of nowhere,” he says. He began to realize that Americans are incredibly isolated from the rest of the world and he “wanted to be a part of connecting American college students with other cultures.” Mark feels so strongly about international education that he “would donate money so that any student who wanted to study abroad could,” if he had the means to do so. His interest continued through his doctoral coursework at Vanderbilt University, and his international education professor proved to be part of the connection that Mark needed to make his dreams of working abroad come true. While working at a leadership camp in Kosova two years ago, the chair of the business school at the University of Prishinta noticed that Mark was wearing a Vanderbilt baseball cap and approached him to discuss the time he had spent in Nashville. They discussed where Mark worked and that he was finishing his Ed.D. at Vanderbilt and his interest in working abroad. Mark again returned to the leadership camp this past summer and he was approached about a position at the newly formed European Vision University in Peja, Kosova where the former business school chair is serving as rector (president). Mark finally had the chance he had been waiting for; he had an opportunity to work abroad. European Vision University will begin its third academic year this fall and serves approximately 600 Albanian students who are predominantly Muslim. In his new role, Mark will be working on a variety of special projects to prepare the University for accreditation, working with government agencies, and assisting with strategic planning. Additionally, he will be teaching introduction to English courses. It has taken persistence and faith for Mark to continue to pursue his path to international education, and he believes that when he returns to the states after one year abroad, he will continue to work in international education, either with study abroad programs or international students in the United States. Throughout his career, his values, faith, and seeking out transformational experiences for himself and his students have guided Mark’s professional path. Mark is a true example of integrity and “practicing what you preach” as he has truly taken his own advice regarding finding a path in the field to heart, “Student affairs and higher education is a broad field; you need to find what you connect with even if you don’t get it right away,” he adds, “[student affairs professionals] are in a position to impact and influence students’ lives. What do you want your contribution to be?” I hope all of us who are fortunate enough to be educated by the faculty in the FSU Higher Education program and professionals like Mark Bryant that we are all able to eventually find our path and discover the contribution we want to make to the field. We wish you the best of luck in your new adventures, Mark! For more information about Mark’s move to Kosova and his experiences abroad, check out his blog at http://kosovamark.squarespace.com/welcome/.